diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegion.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegion.java
index b4133404a8fe..478274eee5fd 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegion.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegion.java
@@ -4888,11 +4888,11 @@ public CheckAndMutateResult checkAndMutate(CheckAndMutate checkAndMutate, long n
             boolean valueIsNull =
               comparator.getValue() == null || comparator.getValue().length == 0;
             if (result.isEmpty() && valueIsNull) {
-              matches = true;
-            } else if (result.size() > 0 && result.get(0).getValueLength() == 0 && valueIsNull) {
-              matches = true;
+              matches = op != CompareOperator.NOT_EQUAL;
+            } else if (result.size() > 0 && valueIsNull) {
+              matches = (result.get(0).getValueLength() == 0) == (op != CompareOperator.NOT_EQUAL);
               cellTs = result.get(0).getTimestamp();
-            } else if (result.size() == 1 && !valueIsNull) {
+            } else if (result.size() == 1) {
               Cell kv = result.get(0);
               cellTs = kv.getTimestamp();
               int compareResult = PrivateCellUtil.compareValue(kv, comparator);
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestCheckAndMutate.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestCheckAndMutate.java
index 51918d4ba879..3b2b67aa6d7f 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestCheckAndMutate.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestCheckAndMutate.java
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
-
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -1218,4 +1217,54 @@ public void testCheckAndRowMutationsBatch() throws Throwable {
       assertEquals("h", Bytes.toString(result.getValue(FAMILY, Bytes.toBytes("H"))));
     }
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckAndMutateForNull() throws Exception {
+    byte[] qualifier = Bytes.toBytes("Q");
+    try (Table table = createTable()) {
+      byte [] row1 = Bytes.toBytes("testRow1");
+      Put put = new Put(row1);
+      put.addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier, Bytes.toBytes("v0"));
+      table.put(put);
+      assertEquals("v0", Bytes.toString(
+        table.get(new Get(row1).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier)).getValue(FAMILY, qualifier)));
+
+      CheckAndMutate checkAndMutate1 = CheckAndMutate.newBuilder(row1)
+        .ifMatches(FAMILY, qualifier, CompareOperator.NOT_EQUAL, new byte[] {})
+        .build(new Put(row1).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier, Bytes.toBytes("v1")));
+      table.checkAndMutate(checkAndMutate1);
+      assertEquals("v1", Bytes.toString(
+        table.get(new Get(row1).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier)).getValue(FAMILY, qualifier)));
+
+      byte [] row2 = Bytes.toBytes("testRow2");
+      put = new Put(row2);
+      put.addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier, new byte[] {});
+      table.put(put);
+      assertEquals(0,
+        table.get(new Get(row2).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier)).getValue(FAMILY, qualifier).length);
+
+      CheckAndMutate checkAndMutate2 = CheckAndMutate.newBuilder(row2)
+        .ifMatches(FAMILY, qualifier, CompareOperator.EQUAL, new byte[] {})
+        .build(new Put(row2).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier, Bytes.toBytes("v2")));
+      table.checkAndMutate(checkAndMutate2);
+      assertEquals("v2", Bytes.toString(
+        table.get(new Get(row2).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier)).getValue(FAMILY, qualifier)));
+
+      byte [] row3 = Bytes.toBytes("testRow3");
+      put = new Put(row3).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier, Bytes.toBytes("v0"));
+      assertNull(table.get(new Get(row3).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier)).getValue(FAMILY, qualifier));
+      CheckAndMutate checkAndMutate3 = CheckAndMutate.newBuilder(row3)
+        .ifMatches(FAMILY, qualifier, CompareOperator.NOT_EQUAL, new byte[] {})
+        .build(put);
+      table.checkAndMutate(checkAndMutate3);
+      assertNull(table.get(new Get(row3).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier)).getValue(FAMILY, qualifier));
+
+      CheckAndMutate checkAndMutate4 = CheckAndMutate.newBuilder(row3)
+        .ifMatches(FAMILY, qualifier, CompareOperator.EQUAL, new byte[] {})
+        .build(put);
+      table.checkAndMutate(checkAndMutate4);
+      assertEquals("v0", Bytes.toString(
+        table.get(new Get(row3).addColumn(FAMILY, qualifier)).getValue(FAMILY, qualifier)));
+    }
+  }
 }